I’m over-the-moon excited that the first ever author Q&A here on kitchen frolic is with the lovely Tara Dairman!

I discovered Tara’s writing when Sylvia over at A Baked Creation was kind enough to send me her Advanced Reading Copy of All Four Stars, Tara’s debut book. Even though it’s geared towards the Middle School crowd, I immediately fell in love with the story – it’s a fun read for young food-lovers and young-at-heart food-lovers alike. You can read my full review of All Four Stars here.

I connected with Tara on Twitter and discovered other amazing facts about her that made me adore her and envy her at the same time. Like the fact that, several years ago, she and her husband quit their jobs and took a very long, “around-the-world” honeymoon. You can read all about their crazy travel adventures over at AndyandTara.com.

Photo credit: Tiffany Crowder – Crowded Studios (http://www.crowdedstudiosphoto.com)

Tara was nice enough to take some time out of her busy schedule to answer a few questions about herself, her travels and All Four Stars. Enjoy!

Tell us a little about yourself.

I’m a novelist, freelance editor, teacher, and amateur cook. I grew up in New York, but now live in Colorado. In between, I earned a B.A. in Creative Writing from Dartmouth College, lived abroad for a year in Ireland, worked as a magazine editor in New York, and took a two-year, round-the-world honeymoon during which my husband and I visited 74 countries in South America, Africa, Asia, and Europe.

List three fun facts about yourself that we wouldn’t read in your “official” bio.

• I hate to drive and travel by public transit or bike whenever possible.
• I’ve ridden and eaten both one-humped and two-humped camels. Two-humped are more comfortable to ride, but one-humped taste better.
• My husband and I have a very extensive collection of board games. My favorite board game is called Puerto Rico.

Tara riding a two-humped camel in Mongolia

You travelled extensively while writing All Four Stars. Did your travels influence the book in any way or did you have a pretty clear concept of the story already?

I’d already been working on the story for a few years when I set off on my round-the-world honeymoon, so most of the plot was already decided. I did end up slipping in some more details about international foods, though, based on my experiences overseas. And my travels definitely influenced the sequel to All Four Stars, which is coming in 2015.

Who were your favourite authors as a child? Who do you admire now?

As a kid, I loved funny books, so Roald Dahl was my absolute favorite. I loved Judy Blume as well. These days, I’m constantly reading new middle-grade books in all genres, and I’m so impressed by what’s out there. Some current MG authors whose work I’m a big fan of are Tim Federle, Nikki Loftin, and Jeannie Mobley.

As a child, were you an adventurous eater like Gladys? Did you ever attempt to cook?

Alas, I was not so adventurous – in fact, I was a lot more like Gladys’s friend Parm Singh, who only eats two things (cereal and plain spaghetti). Those were the two major staples of my diet as well growing up, and I really didn’t start to branch out until high school.

Were your parents good cooks?

Haha…let’s just say that the microwave- and takeout-loving characteristics I gave to Gladys’s parents in All Four Stars may have been inspired by real life. 🙂

There are so many amazing dishes and recipes mentioned in All Four Stars. What was your favourite dish or meal depicted in the book?

I love Indian food, so I had a lot of fun writing the scenes that take place at Parm’s house. Rereading those scenes always puts me in the mood for a samosa!

Considering the amount of sweets and pastries mentioned in the story, my sweet tooth was going into overdrive! What’s your favourite dessert?

I love anything with rhubarb in it, so I’d have to say rhubarb crumble or rhubarb pie. Though desserts with cherries in them are pretty great, too. 🙂

I know there’s a sequel in store for 2015 (hooray!) – what’s next for little Gladys Gatsby, food critic?

Yes, a sequel is coming in Summer 2015! I don’t want to give away too much, but I can tell you that Gladys’s continuing adventures will involve summer camp, a brand-new kid-writer nemesis, and the toughest reviewing assignment she could possibly imagine. I can’t wait for people to read it!

A very special thank you to Tara for taking the time to answer my questions! You can learn more about Tara on her website.

If you haven’t already picked up All Four Stars, what are you waiting for?

You can purchase All Four Stars from The Book Depository (free worldwide shipping) or Amazon.

All images used in this post belong to Tara Dairman and are used with her permission.

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